Previously on "Enlightenment"

   "Now, дорогой, now."

   Natalya hangs up the phone, and cried herself to sleep that night. Letting all the stress and worry from the past year out. Finally letting it sink in that it was a New Year, that spring is finally upon her.

__________

   THE CAR RIDE to Central City was horrid for Natalya. The only thing worse was when she had to tell Mrs. Brooke about her leaving once more. The kids the most disappointed and her boss more understanding luckily.

   Rain pounds on the car, the windshield wipers going back and forth. A gentle coat of fog covering the roads in an eerie fashion. Piles of snow now melting away on the abandoned back roads to Central City. A short cut to her mother's home.

   When the rain came down harder, and the roads sludgier, the panic began to set in. Natalya could feel her heart begin to race, and her breathing become short and erotic. Thoughts of her father itching their way into her mind.

Would he be there?

How is he?

Did he hurt mother?

   Natalya hits the stearing wheel in frustration. Though, not daring to take her eyes off of the road that is littered in holes. Tears start to well up in her eyes, but she forces them back. Not daring to let them fall, afraid they would cause her vision to fuzz over.

   "Блядь him, I hope he withers in hell!" Natalya grumbles. The English words slurring from her mouth in rapid waves of anger. She was pissed, pissed at her Father, her Mother, and most of all, at Mick.

   "Why does life have to be so complicated?" Natalya mutters, letting tears well up in her brown orbs once more. She mumbles more incoherent words under her breath, seeing the outskirts of Central City in the distance.

Thank god.

   Minutes later, she arrives in the outskirts of the concrete jungle. Taking in the nice change of scenery. The muddy roads turning into gravel, than asphalt. A smile resting on her pale skin.

   Her mind zones out for the rest of her trip, subconsiously driving. Her mind becoming a zoo of wild thoughts and emotions. Thinking of what will happen when she arrives at her childhood home.

   The hour drive from the edge of Central City to her mother's house was long, but it felt like minutes to Natalya.

   Her childhood home has stayed the same over the years. Same white wood on the outside with dark blue trim. The windows big and bulky with a lawn perfectly trimmed. A concrete slab at the bottom of the dark blue door. The roof slanted and complimenting the color scheme.

   She huffs out in annoyance, stepping out of her car hesitantly. Her brown boots hitting the pavement with a gentle thump.

   Natalya walks up to the front door. She steps onto the cement slab with one last shaky breath. Her hand closes in a fist and like usual, she goes to knock. Though, she takes a few, short breaths before knocking on the wood door.

   Natalya hears shuffling from the other side, the door being thrown open. Natalya opens her mouth to speak, but her mother cuts her off, "Natalya, you need to go!"

   "Mother, I just got here, like you asked... Why am I leaving?"

   "I'll explain in the car, now go get in," her words are slurred and panicked. She didn't even have a coat on when she ran to the car. Natalya following behind her, slower than her frantic mother.

   "Mother, calm down! What's happening!?" Natalya starts to feel herself panic as well. With all the things that have been happening, it's only right that she does.

   "Natalya now! He'll get you if you don't, hurry darling!" Mrs. Roman opens the car door. Glancing up at her daughter, instead of just seeing Natalya standing there, Mrs. Roman sees someone else behind her.

   Mrs. Roman let's out a terrified scream. If Natalya didn't believe the eerie feeling of someone peering over her before, she does now. When she whirls around, Natalya is face-to-face with her nightmare.

   She doesn't scream, just stares, eyes wide. She stumbles back, falling into the rock walkway. Flailing to get as far away as humanly possible.

   His twisted grin taunts Natalya, teeth crooked and yellow. Some rotten and others cracked. His light brown hair that was once neat and tidy is now greasy and disheveled. The pale blue eyes that would bring her joy as a child are clouded with bloodlust.

   The man that would be virtually beautiful, is half the man he once was. Insanity knawing its way into his mind.

   Natalya gasps out, trying to bring air back into her lungs. Watching helplessly as he takes a step closer. Her brain not processing her mothers screams and cries of protest, or the gun that the man holds.

   Her body wasn't functioning, her mind not processing the frail arms of her mothers neighbor pulling her up. Nor the feeling of dread when that neighbor fell to the ground with a thump. The ringing in her ears from the gunshot, and blood streaming down the driveway from the rain. The same rain that now drenched her, the umbrella she once held on the ground.

   The sirens in the distance became louder and louder. Closer and closer. Soon, Natalya found herself being dragged into the house, her mothers screams silenced.

   Natalya felt her body being pushed down a flight of stairs. Her small form hitting carpeted floor and her head hitting the wood wall. The ringing in her ears intensifying for a moment before disappearing completely.

   With her eyes still wide and breathing ragged, she barely heard the man in the basement with her. The rough voice that belonged to the man that she inevitably fell for.

   "Snap out of it! You wont do any good when you are like this," Mick pulls Natalya up into a sitting position.

   The moment she heard his voice, everything came crashing down. She watched someone die. Watched the man she once called her father kill a her mothers neighbor!

   "M-M-My dad..." Natalya sobs, her hand clenching Micks grey shirt.

   "Natalya, look at me." he commands. She looks up at him hesitantly, tears streaming down her face.

   Brown meets brown, his eyes harder while hers are softer. Day and night, fire and ice, polar opposites.

   "How did you-?" Natalya begins. Confused on how Mick got down in her basement.

   He looks at her, and she shuts her mouth, casting her gaze down to the carpeted floor.

   "You don't need to know that, girl." He becomes angry for a moment. His voice sending shock waves through the already terrified Natalya.

   Suddenly, Natalya hears a cry from the corner of the room. She pulls herself towards the crying to see it was Sally. Her soft green dress was tattered, hair disheveled. Her eyes red and puffy from all the crying.

   "Sally... It's me Natalya, common, look at me honey," Natalya tries to push all the fear away. All the shock, it works to an extent. Even if the little orphan girl could see through it, she did not question it, for the little girl needed her caretakers bravery so she could have her own hope.

   "Ms. Natalya!" The little girl cries, attaching herself to Natalya in an instant. Letting her tears fall freely on her caretakers rain soaked shoulder. Mick simply watching from a distance.

   "Shhhh... Its alright now honey. I've got you," she mutters into the child's matted hair. Letting her own tears slip down her cheeks. Gently, Natalya starts to rock the girl back and forth, comforting herself as well as Sally.

   Mick let a smile slip through his cold demeanor. As soon as the smile came, it vanished. He couldn't break, not with a psychopath upstairs.

   For now, they were hostages, and until the police could figure it out, they were stuck there.

_____________

    PLEASE EXCUCE/IGNORE ALL SPELLING AND GRAMMAR MISTAKES, THANK YOU!

Блядь = Damn

WARNING: TRANSLATIONS MAY NOT BE 100% CORRECT

Hey... it's been a while since I updated. Sorry, I've been enjoying summer and reading constantly.

I just finished securing my timeline for this book, and the following two after this (oops, spilled a secret, you guys weren't suppose to know that yet 😉)

After starting my trip of securing the timeline at 11 pm, and ending it, its 2:11 am, and I just decided to edit this chapter while I'm at it too!

Again, sorry, and sorry for the constant changing in book covers, but, I think I'm sticking with the one that's on it now, I like it.

(Done editing at 2:45 am and published probably around 2:46 am, oof)

AGAIN, PLEASE EXCUSE/IGNORE AND SPELLING AND GRAMMAR MISTAKES, THANK YOU!